Free barbie brings people together in Goonellabah

EVERY fortnight in Goonellabah you can enjoy a free barbecue dinner at the recently renovated Clifford Park as part of a community initiative called StreetCare.

It launched last Friday, and its focus is to help people find connections in the community and to provide a meal for those doing it tough.

BaptistCare community development worker Lyn Prentice said the launch went according to plan and she's excited to see it continue each Friday fortnight.

"People from the community came along and they were very excited to have it there on a regular basis," she said.

"There were kids there... and neighbours of the park.

"There was a mixture of age and demographic, so it was good."

The initiative came about to address a lack of community engagement programs in Goonellabah.

"We knew of other services in the Lismore CBD and we thought it would be a good opportunity to focus on Goonellabah itself," Ms Prentice said.

StreetCare is a BaptistCare program formed in partnership with Lismore Baptist Church.

Ms Prentice said she welcomed all to come along and enjoy a free meal.

"There's a lot of people who may be living in a town like this and who are a bit isolated, or just finding it hard to make ends meet, or just want to feel like they're part of the community," she said.

She also said there were volunteering opportunities available.

"We're open to people coming and volunteering to help, and organisations willing to donate food would be good," she said.

BaptistCare North West group manager Scott Pilgrim said one in 10 NSW residents will need some form of food relief this year.